Genara

The Genara Union is an alliance and trade consortium of five space-going societies spread over
six systems. They are confirmed to have sprung from a common mother society which apparently
disappeared without a trace more than 700 years ago.
The daughter colonies regained space-flight at roughly the same time and re-established trade
and diplomatic ties. They formed a stable interstellar union in Earth year 2089.
Generally peaceful, the Genara maintain a small, but powerful defensive fleet (with a small
exploratory arm)- but the vast bulk of Genaran vessels are built for trade and commerce.
The Genara have become economically interdependent and have begun a lucrative
import/export with neighboring systems and empires- notably the Romulans, Ferengi, and
Cardassians. Their primary industry at the moment is technical and diplomatic experts. The
Genara serve as advisers, technical experts, and troubleshooters on more than a dozen worlds
other than their own, and are highly sought after.
Physical Description
The Genara meet most humanoid norms, but
trend toward the tall and willowy, especially
when compared to humans. Their appearance
is deceptively fragile, though there is
considerable strength- both of body and willin the Genara genotype. Skin colors trend
toward the pale, and hair and eye colors
generally match human norms.
One notable difference is that Genara lack
external ears- having four timpanic membranes
instead (located at the four corners of the
head), which gives them exceptional hearing
and situational awareness.
Culture
Genara society is divided up along
matriarchal clan lines. Family- both the
nuclear and extended- are the central units of
Genaran society, and a Genaran's first loyalties
are to his House and blood before any other
(not unlike Klingon practice).
Clan rivalries and feuds are an ever-present
fact of Generan life, and can range from an
exchange of cat-calls and insults to bloodfeuds involving tens of thousands.
While dueling is officially forbidden by
Genaran law, it is almost inextricably
interwoven into their society, and is often used
to settle matters of personal honor. The
Genaran dueling code is unwritten but explicitwith emphasis on a straightforward, aboveboard, and fair fight.
Duels are personal matters- one person
against another- rather than clan against clan.
Weapons must be evenly matched (knife
against knife, sword against sword, etc.).
Ranged weapons (such as pistols) and
poisoned weapons are strictly forbidden.
The Genara divide themselves by blood and
familial ties into hundreds (or thousands) of

Greater and Lesser Houses (again, not unlike

the Klingon model). Rather than controlling
specific geographic regions, however, the
Houses influences and populations are heavily
intermingled. The Eldest Mother (generally,
the oldest and most capable woman in the
House) serves as clan judicial and executive
authority.
The two hundred Houses with the highest
membership (or with a total allied population)
are granted seats in Parliament, which in turn
elects the Prime Minister and cabinet. The
Houses propose and write legislation, but can
be overruled by majority vote of the general
population.
Genara justice systems vary from province to
province and world to world. Intra-clan justice
is usually handled by the matriarch or a
designated representative. Justice between
clans (where a member of one clan has
wronged another) is usually handled by
designated negotiators between the two clans,
or if necessary, by third-party mediators either
agreed to by the litigants or appointed by the
Matriarchal Council.
The Matriarchal Council (comprised of the
Eldest Mothers of the twelve largest Houses)
serve as a supreme judiciary, interpreting the
law or overturning it as necessary.
Genaran men enjoy full suffrage and legal
rights, but are bound by both tradition and law
from holding seats in either the Matriarchal
Council or Parliament. Genara males can (and
do) serve as cabinet ministers, emissaries,
military officers, advisers, counselors and
nearly any other posts- but cannot serve as the
legislative or judicial representatives in their
own right. Males routinely address the
Parliament and Matriarchal Council, but do so
only in the name of their Matriarch.

Language
Genara Common, Federation Standard, Any
Homeworld
The Genara share five main colonies- each
with populations of a billion or more peopleand a dozen lesser colonies founded within the
last hundred years.
The original parent world still exists but
lies fallow and abandoned. The ruins of oncepopulous cities stand in silent witness to the
inhabitants of the world, but no other tracehas been discovered. No evidence of
chemical or biological holocaust has been
found, and background radiation levels are
normal. Several Genaran expeditions have
attempted to re-colonize this world, but each
was withdrawn within the first year of
founding. A final expedition- the Seventh- also
disappeared without a trace in 2377.
Interstellar Relations:
The Genara guard their neutrality carefully,
but generally adhere to interstellar law, and
enjoy robust trade relations with the Romulans
and Ferengi, and are expanding ties with the
Cardassians (and through them, with the
Federation). The Genara trade primarily
among themselves, but are expanding an
already robust trade network with markets
sufficiently to come into direct confrontation
with the Ferengi- which has led to increasing
tensions between the two powers.
Technological Summary
Genaran society is rated as Tech Level 6/7roughly comparable to the Federation in Kirk's
era, though many older cities and enclaves
retain a more archaic standard.
Projections
Starfleet Intelligence and the Federation
Diplomatic Corps expect little change in
Federation-Genara relations over the short
term. A number of trade treaties have been
inked, but the Genara are currently too far
from the edge of Federation advancement and
from primary Federation shipping lanes to
merit much attention.
Genaran leaders continue to push various
trade and cultural exchange projects with
various foreign powers, but these are not
expected to produce significant changes in
technology or foreign relations in the near
future.
Favored Profession

Diplomat, Rogue, Merchant, or Starship

Officer. The Genara can take up almost any
profession, but will be most often encountered
in one of these roles.
Species Adjustment
+1 INT, +1 PRS
Species Abilities:
Conspiracy-Minded: Intra-clan rivalries and
influence are the lifeblood of Genaran
society- and trading upon one's name
and reputation are the key to success.
When making Social tests against other
Generans, the character adds his
Renown modifier (for better or worse)
to his test result.
Genarans are also adept at picking
up subtle clues and information from
even casual conversations, gaining a
+2 bonus to Inquire tests.
Dueling Culture: The Genara tend to settle
many matters of honor great and small
with the blade- and gain the skill
Armed Combat: Simple Weapons +1 at
character creation. This is considered a
professional skill for the purposes of
advancement.
Genara Conservation: Approximately 2%
of the females within Genara society
possess the ability to biochemically and
telepathically impress memory engrams
and thought patterns from a dying
donor onto their unborn child.
The conservation process has two
major side-effects: first, the child will
always be female (no matter the gender
of the person impressed) and second,
the birthing process strips the birthmother of vital neurochemicals, killing
her in the process.
Despite the fact that this is very much
a seller's market, the selection
process for conservators is quite
rigorous- with extensive tests for
intelligence, grace, charm, and genetic
purity- and the best and brightest
commanding the highest prices.
Being chosen as a Conservator is
considered a great honor, but also
greatly enriches the young woman's
family.
Once born, the impressed child
ages rapidly- reaching a rough physical
age of about nine years within the first
week. After the first week, the

accelerated growth eases, and the child

ages normally from there.
The impressed child is believed to
be the reincarnation of the donor- and
usually possesses all of memories and
personality traits of the donor as well.
Subtle changes attributed to becoming
accustomed to the new body are not
uncommon, but are overlooked unless
they become problematic. The child
also frequently possesses a portion of
the memories of her birth-mother, as
well.
The child possesses all of the legal
rights, privileges, and properties of the
deceased progenitor, and upon
reaching her majority (age 14) is
usually granted the authority of the
donor- including Eldest Mother status
for her House.
Needless to say, the process is
expensive and painful for all involved,
and occurs only at the highest levels of
Genara society.
Given the cut-throat nature of
Generan internal political and
economic warfare, Conservators are
often targeted for murder, or
kidnapping.